This year’s annual Great Road Day in Lincoln, at which free tours are given at several historic buildings along the ancient roadway, will include the official introduction of the Great Road Heritage Campus at Chase Farm Park by the Friends of Hearthside, with some added features to the event, making it a perfect family outing on a fall day. There will be tours, exhibits, games for kids, and food along the way, all making for a big dose of history in just one day.

This one-day event is part of a national celebration of museums known as Smithsonian Museum Day during which museums across the country open their doors for free with the goal of getting more residents to visit the cultural resources found in their own communities.

Friends of Hearthside, the volunteer organization that started in 2001 with the restoration and opening of the 1810 Hearthside House, has expanded their stewardship to include other historic sites at the neighboring Chase Farm Park. With the recent restoration of the relocated one-room schoolhouse at Chase Farm Park, and the addition of a new Visitors’ Center to the historic property, the Park now offers a journey through Lincoln’s early history in this snapshot of life during the 19th century. The campus includes Hearthside House Museum, the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop, the Moffett Mill and the Pullen’s Corner Schoolhouse, all situated on the picturesque historic dairy farm of 85 acres. The new Visitors’ Center offers a gathering spot under its picnic pavilion, as well as a community room and public restrooms, making it possible for tours and groups to visit the site for a day.

From the stories of farm, industry, home, and school that are told at the Great Road Heritage Campus, connections are made with several other earlier historic sites along Great Road, who will also be participating. Those sites included in Great Road Day are: Hearthside House (c.1810), Historic New England’s Arnold House (c.1693), Hannaway Blacksmith Shop (c.1870), Chase Farm Park c.1867), Saylesville Friends Meetinghouse (c.1703), Valentine Whitman House (c.1694), Mt. Moriah Masonic Lodge (1804), Northgate, home of the Blackstone Valley Historical Society (c.1807) and the Arnold Bakery (c.1874).

Some features at the special celebration taking place at the Great Road Heritage Campus at Chase Farm Park include a presentation on the history of Great Road, given by National Park Service Ranger, Kevin Klyberg. The presentation will be given at the new Visitors’ Center at noon and repeated at 2:00 pm. An antique phonograph exhibit will be on display at the Hearthside House Museum, courtesy of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Antique Phonograph Society. The owners of these relics will be present to show how each phonograph works and sounds for all who visit. Step outside Hearthside and see how foods were cooked over the open fire in a demonstration by the cook in Colonial attire while she prepares some common 19th century favorites. At the original Hannaway Blacksmith Shop c.1880, watch iron be heated over the forge and then molded into useful implements. At the Pullen’s Corner Schoolhouse, learn from the teachers and children what school, and recess, was like in the late 19th century in Lincoln. A rare opportunity will be the viewing of the Moffett Mill c.1812. As one of the state’s earliest wooden mills, it is only open on selected occasions because of its inaccessibility along the busy curve of the roadway below Chase Farm. The only access to the Mill will be by shuttle bus.

The Visitors’ Center at Chase Farm will be the place for home-made treats, including old-fashioned apple crisp, cookies, breads, cakes and more. Dynamite sandwiches, a northern Rhode Island favorite, will also be available for sale, along with beverages. Weary travelers may rest a spell and enjoy the scenery of this former dairy farm. Restrooms and the shuttle bus drop off and pick up point are also located here.

For the more adventuresome who want to enjoy a real outdoor experience and have the time, a hike along the mile-long trail from the Arnold House at Gateway Park to Chase Farm Park, offers an exploration through rolling hills and woods where native plants and trees line the paths.

Features at the other Great Road sites include a special photography exhibit at the Blackstone Valley Historical Society at the Northgate Tollhouse, Reflections in the Water: Photographs of the Blackstone Valley by Madeleine O. Robinson. All are invited to visit and have a piece of cake to celebrate the Historical Society’s 60th anniversary. Also open at the site is Arnold’s Bakery.

A journey back to the 18th century is featured at the c.1693 Arnold House and the c.1694 Valentine Whitman House, two rare stone-ender houses, as well as at the c.1703 Saylesville Friends Meetinghouse, the oldest continuously-used Quaker meetinghouse in New England. One of the earliest Masonic lodges in the state, the c.1804 Mt. Moriah Lodge where the most notable early town residents were members, provides public viewing just one day a year, which is on Great Road Day.

Visitors are invited to tour all sites, or just a select few, at their own pace. Signs will be posted at each site along the route. Generally, the hours at the sites are between 11-4, however, the Valentine Whitman House will close at 2 p.m. and the Arnold House and Hearthside House will remain open till 5:00 p.m.

There is limited parking at each site with the exception of the Moffett Mill, which is accessible only by shuttle bus. The shuttle bus pick up is at Chase Farm Park at the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop. The bus will make continuous runs along lower Great Road between Chase Farm Park, the Saylesville Friends Meetinghouse, Gateway Park and the Arnold House, Hearthside, and Moffett Mill.

The historic Great Road got its name because it was so much more substantial than other routes through the valley. Great Road was built in 1683 as the major thoroughfare on the west side of the Blackstone River. With historic houses, farms and mills, the nationally-designated Great Road Historic District in Lincoln retains much of the Blackstone Valley’s early 19th century rural character.

Great Road Day is a collaboration among the several participating historic sites, the majority of which are volunteer-run organizations. The event is sponsored in part by the Town of Lincoln, which owns Chase Farm Park and several of the properties.

The Great Road Historic District is located off Route 146, 10 minutes north of Providence on

Rt. 123. For more information, contact Hearthside at 401-726-0597 or visit www.hearthsidehouse.org. The locations and addresses of each site are as follows:

Historic New England’s Arnold House – Open 11-5 p.m. 487 Great Road at Gateway Park

Hearthside House Museum – Open 11-5 p.m. 677 Great Road

Saylesville Friends Meetinghouse – Open 11-4 p.m. 374 Great Road

Hannaway Blacksmith Shop- Open 11-4 p.m. Entrance to Chase Farm Park, 671 Great Road

Pullen Corner Schoolhouse – Open 11-4 p.m. 671 Great Road at Chase Farm Park

Moffett Mill – 11-4 p.m. accessible only by shuttle bus transport from Chase Farm Park

Blackstone Valley Historical Society & Arnold’s Bakery-Open 11-4 p.m. 1873 Old Louisquisset Pike

Mount Moriah Lodge – Open 11-4 p.m. 1093 Great Road

Valentine Whitman House – Open 11 – 2 p.m. 1147 Great Road

Historic Site Details:

Arnold House (1693): In 1693, Eleazer Arnold, a major landowner, built his house along Great Road, one of the earliest roads in the colonies. Two stories high, with a massive chimney end wall, the house is a rare survivor of a once-common Rhode Island building type known as a stone-ender. The home so dominated the modest dwellings of nearby farmers that it earned the title “Eleazer’s Splendid Mansion.” The structure has sustained many alterations over the centuries. Owned and operated by Historic New England. Open weekends June-Oct. 487 Great Road

Saylesville Friends Meeting House (1703): This is one of the oldest continuously-used Quaker meeting houses in New England and the first house of worship erected in Northern Rhode Island. The meeting house hosts a book swap and a self-guided tour is available. A cemetery adjacent to the building is the final resting place of many of Lincoln’s earliest families including the Arnolds and Hearthside’s builder, Stephen Hopkins Smith. 374 Great Road

Hearthside House (1810): According to legend, Stephen Hopkins Smith used $40,000 in lottery winnings to construct this stately home for a young lady he wished to marry. Hearthside took its name from a well-known hand weaving business which operated in the house in the early 1900s. Recognized by Yankee Magazine’s 2017 Editor’s Choice for Best in New England as “Best Historical Experience-RI,” docents in period costume welcome visitors to step back in time as they experience what life was like for the families who called Hearthside their home. Considered to be one of the finest Federal-style houses in Rhode Island, featuring many unique architectural elements. Open March-Dec. for tours and special events on specific dates. 677 Great Road

Moffett Mill (1812): A rare example of a wooden mill built during the first wave of industrialization in the Blackstone Valley and considered one of the earliest machine shops constructed in Rhode Island. This restored mill along the Moshassuck River made parts for wagons, carriages, shoe and corset laces until its closing in 1900. Because of its precarious location on a dangerous curve, it is only open on Great Road Day and accessible only by shuttle bus available from Chase Farm Park on a continuous loop. Chase Farm Park, 671 Great Road

Chase Farm Park (1867): Lincoln’s last operating dairy farm is now a public park, with 85 acres of picturesque hills and meadows. The history of this early farm, one of many that dotted the landscape during the 19th century in Lincoln, is provided by an interpretive panel at the Visitors’ Center. 671 Great Road

Pullen Corner School (1850): Recently moved across town from Angell Road to Chase Farm Park on Great Road is a one-room school, the Pullen Corner School, also known as the “Hot Potato School,” an 1850 schoolhouse that was part of the Smithfield school system (before Lincoln existed) where children of farm families were educated from grades 1-8. The schoolhouse has undergone a total restoration and is the site for school groups and tours where its history is told by docents and children in period attire. Chase Farm Park, 671 Great Road

Hannaway Blacksmith Shop (1880): Hear the sound of the hammer striking the anvil and smell the metal as it heats from the fire of the forge as turn-of-the-century blacksmithing demonstrations take place at this original smithy that served area farms and homes. Recognized by Yankee Magazine’s 2017 Editor’s Choice for Best in New England, “Best Historical Experience in Rhode Island.” Located at the entrance to Chase Farm Park. The Shop is open year round on Sunday mornings for demonstrations and classes in hand forging. Chase Farm Park, 671 Great Road

Mount Moriah Lodge (1804): In 1804 the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island granted permission to form a Masonic Lodge in Smithfield (before Lincoln was formed), which came to be known as Mount Moriah, the 8th lodge in the state at that time. The 2-story brick building started as a one-room schoolhouse and then was enlarged in 1804 for the Lodge. This was an important local institution in Lime Rock, and included many of the town’s most notable citizens. The Lodge holds an Open House for visitors once a year so don’t miss this opportunity. 1093 Great Road at the corner of Anna Sayles Road.

Northgate, Home of the Blackstone Valley Historical Society (1807): This two story building was originally built as a tollgate residence for the Louisquisset Turnpike. In later years, it served as the Grange, a social gathering place for local farm families. It is currently home to the Blackstone Valley Historical Society. Open monthly for meetings and events. 1873 Old Louisquisset Pike.

Arnold Bakery (1874): This one-story, one-room bakery was relocated to its current spot adjacent to Northgate, where its history is told of original operation by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Arnold in the village of Saylesville. 1873 Old Louisquisset Pike

Valentine Whitman Jr. House (1694): A classic stone-ender house, this is the site of the first town meeting in Smithfield (which later became Lincoln in 1871). The Whitmans were some of the first settlers in Northern Rhode Island. The house is fully furnished and has 3 floors open for viewing. Open for tours and special events on specific dates. 1147 Great Road